At their kick-off press conference for the new Public Safety facility yesterday, County Administrator Pete Melnick began by saying, “Today marks a pivotal step forward in our ongoing efforts to improve public safety…deliver justice and ensure our community is equipped with the facilities it needs…not just for today…but for the future.”
On the KGEZ Good Morning Show, Melnick has told us they’re planning a major effort to make sure we all know what’s at stake and why we need to pass the $105-million bond to build the jail.
Appearing on the KGEZ Good Morning Show, Sheriff Brian Heino explains just how out of date our current jail is and why we need to do something about it. When special needs prisoners come in, they must be separated from others, which is an extremely inefficient way to utilize already crowded cells. He says Judges are having to decide — all too often — which offenders should be housed in the detention facility or allowed to be released pending their next court appearance.
With voter approval, the 20-year bond will, they say, make only a minimal impact on our taxes. The example given, a home value of $600,000 would see an increase of $6.72 a month and, in successive years, that will decrease to $5.61 per month.
